There is a growing prima facie case for inflammation being associated with suicide. In cohort studies,1 elevated levels of inflammatory markers have been linked to the future occurrence of depression, a known risk factor for suicide. In psychiatric patients, inflammation is positively associated with the intensity of self-reported suicidal ideation,2 and those who commit suicide have higher cytokine levels post mortem relative to control patients.3 Furthermore, individuals with asthma, a condition characterized by inflammation, experience higher rates of suicide mortality than their nonatopic counterparts.4

While these various lines of evidence may implicate inflammation in the pathophysiology of suicide, there has been no prospective examination of the link between inflammation and future suicide events.